Timid and elusive, lizards like to sunbathe in the morning before hunting for food and disappearing underground or into the grass and dirt. While Britain boasts three kinds of native lizard (although, confusingly, one of these is called a worm), some non-native varieties of lizards have accidentally been introduced to the wild, including wall and green lizards.

Common lizards are, in fact, not as common in Britain as they were, owing to their diminishing habitat. Long-bodied (between 10cm and 16cm) with short legs, they have rough grey, brown, bronze or green scales on their backs and males are usually darker than females. Both have a spattering of black spots and stripes down their flanks.

Sand lizards are short-legged, stocky creatures with rounded snouts and short tails. They are up to 20cm long and have brown markings on their backs and flanks. While females are light brown to grey with white bellies, males are generally brown-black with bright green sides. Owing to their rarity, it is an offence to handle or disturb them under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Slowworms, often mistaken for snakes, are actually legless lizards. An easy way to distinguish them from snakes is by their eyes: slowworms have eyelids like other lizards; snakes do not. They also have a blunt tail, few markings and a rather indistinct head. Both sexes have a shiny appearance: males are greyish brown, females brown with darker sides and a thin, dark line down their back. They can be anywhere between 30cm and 50cm long.

Where they live

Sand lizards are generally restricted to heathland and sand dunes in Surrey, Dorset and Hampshire, plus coastal and sand dune systems in Merseyside, although they have been reintroduced to sites in north Wales, Devon, Cornwall and West Sussex. The common lizard can be spotted in woods, marshes, heathland, moors, sand dunes, hedgerows, bogs and rubbish dumps around Britain. They also have the distinction of being Ireland's only reptile. Slowworms like humidity and live in grassy meadows, compost heaps, gardens, farmland, woods and open fields.

How to spot them

Ecologist Davog McClosky says: "Slowworms never bask out in the open but can be found among grassland. Common lizards can be found absolutely anywhere with a bit of rough, unmanaged grassland. They also like south‑facing slopes to heat up on. Sand lizards are completely restricted to heathland and sand dunes, and are very timid, so the earlier you go out the better. They're easier to spot while basking and the best time to go spotting is the beginning of spring - but even in good weather they spend a lot of their time underground. Take binoculars and watch them from a distance."

Look out for ...

McClosky says: "Rotten tree stumps. They're the perfect habitat for slowworms as they're damp. They can also be found under rocks and old logs, as can common lizards. Look in patches of rough grassland, and in your garden - they love compost heaps to lay their eggs in. It's also worth looking in railway embankments and at the edge of farmland for common lizards."

Did you know?

Many lizards can shed their tails. Freshly shed tails thrash around wildly, attracting a predator's attention while the lizard slips away hopefully unnoticed.

Teenage mutant ninja terrapins

Back in the 1990s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles craze led to a surge in people keeping terrapins as pets. Cute to begin with and the size of a 50p piece, they had that turtle feel and weren't too intimidating. However, as their new pets grew, owners soon found they had dinner plate-sized reptiles to care for. Ill equipped to deal with such a task (or perhaps because the cartoon's appeal was waning), a number of owners set their terrapins free - leading to the establishment of wild terrapins in some of Britain's ponds.

On a sunny day in London, for example, you might spot terrapins basking by the ponds of Hampstead Heath. However, if you're lucky enough to spot one of these creatures, don't touch it. A spokesman from the City of London Corporation, which manages the heath, warns: "They carry salmonella, which can be a problem if they bite you. They've been seen eating baby chicks, too, which is not very nice for people to watch. They're a wild animal, so if they feel threatened they will defend themselves."